Hollow wooden column.



No. 784,909. PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905. A. WESTERLING. HOLLOW WOODEN COLUMN.

' APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905. A. WBSTERLING. HOLLOW WOODEN COLUMN.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 30, 1904.

2 SEEETS-SHEET 2.

Ira/6W7 firm/rad Wwferkg, 9 33 UNITED STATES Fatented March 14, 1905.

PATENT OE IcE.

ANDREW VVESTERLING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY Gr. DAl/VSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

H OLLOW WOODEN COLUMN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,909, dated March 14, 1905.

Application filed November 30, 1904. Serial No. 234,936.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, ANDREW WEs'rEELINe, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illi- 5 nois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hollow WVooden Columns, of which the following is a specification. I

The object of my invention is to provide a hollow wooden veneer column for interior I cabinet-worker decorative woodwork generally, and particularly for wood mantels, by employing therein a construction which shall render the article comparatively cheap to manufacture and more especially proof against 1 cracking and splitting.

It is common to provide wooden columns for mantels made hollow for attaining light- I ness to reduce the cost of transportation and of a construction which prevents splitting or 2 cracking of the wood under the effect of varying atmospheric temperature; but they are not formed of veneers and are comparatively expensive to manufacture. Attempts to manufacture such columns of veneer have resulted 5 in failure because of the strain upon the material of uneven contraction and expansion under the influence of variation of temperature of the atmosphere to which it is subjected in the process of manufacturing the columns 3 resulting in splitting and cracking them. My

improvement entirely overcomes this difficulty by enabling the hollow wooden veneer columns to be made without tendency to splitting or cracking.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 showsa core with a strip of veneer represented as being wrapped spirally about it, this view serving to illustrate the first step of the procedure in the manufacture of my 4 improved column. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the entire strip of veneer spirally wound about the core and clamped at its ends to hold it in place, this view serving to illustrate the second step of the procedure. Fig.

3 shows the parts as represented in Fig. 2 with a sheet of thicker veneer wrapped about the spirally-wound strip on the core, this view serving to illustrate another step in the procedure. Fig. 4 shows the parts as represented in Fig. 3 with an outer thinner sheet of ve- 5 neer wrapped about the first-applied sheet thereof, this view serving to illustrate another step in the procedure. Fig. 5 shows clamps at intervals about the outside layer of veneer of Fig. 4 with brads at intervals which are driven through the several layers to hold them together on the core, this view serving to illustrate another step in the procedure. Fig. 6 shows the parts as represented in Fig. 5 with a strap partially wound spirally about the outermost layer of veneer and with the clamps and brads removed as the winding proceeds, this view serving to illustrate still another stepin the procedure. Fig. 7 is-a broken view in elevation of the completed column enlarged 5 over the scale of the preceding figures, and Fig. 8 a section taken at the line 8 on Fig. 7 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A is a core of suitable diameter and length according to the internal diameter and length 7 of a column B to be manufactured, the core being preferably formed of wood, although it may be formed of other material. Upon this core in a previously-heated condition is spirally wound, either closely, as represented, or with the edges of the convolutions spaced apart, a strip of veneer C, as oak, preparatorily moistened to adapt it to bend readily. After the strip of veneer has been thus spirally wound it is fastened at its ends to the core, as by clamps a, encircling the core. The outer surface of the strip C is coated with glue, and the purpose of having the core in a heated condition is to keep the glue in a soft condition. Thereupon a sheet D of heavier 5 veneersuch as birch, bass, or othersuitable wood, preferably of the cheaper variety and preparatorily formed into a cylinder or partial cylinder by wetting it on one side and confining it in a former until dryis sprung 9 over the wound strip. The sheet D is of a width to reach about the spirally-wound internal strip and has its meeting edges beveled to overlap one another, as shown at b in Fig. 8, and form the joint there represented. The outer surface of the sheet D is coated with glue, and thereupon the outer layer of veneer faces of the two sheets, binding the layers toin the form of a sheet E of or approximately of the thickness of the strip G and of proper width to encircle the layer 1) is wrapped about the latter, the edges of the outer sheet being beveled to form the joint shown at c in Fig. 8, which should be out of coincidence with the joint I), as represented. Thereupon if the post being manufactured is of smaller variety brads (Z may be driven at intervals through the layers and into the core to hold the parts, and if it be of the larger variety clamps a, like the clamps a, may be applied at intervals for the same purpose, or both clamps and brads may be used, as represented. A narrow strap F of leather, canvas, or other suitable material is then tightly wound spirally about the whole, the fastenings (t a (Z being removed as they are encountered by the strap in winding it and the strap is suitably secured in place, the purpose of so winding the strap being to force the contacting surfaces evenly together throughout and so hold them while undergoing the next step in the manufacture. This step consists in placing the strap-wound product in a heatingoven, the heat serving to keep the glue soft and insure spreading thereof evenly and uniformly throughout all the contacting surfaces of the veneer layers. Then the whole is removed from the oven and exposed to the drying influence of the atmosphere to set the glue, and when dry the strap F and also the core A are removed, leaving the hollow column in its finished condition, except as to trimming the ends, if required.

The spirally-woimd inner veneer layer serves to maintain the cylindrical shape of the column, and its yielding quality adapts it to give under the contracting-strain to which the outer layers are subjected in drying sufficiently to prevent splitting or cracking thereof. Moreover, the spirally-disposed inner strip crosses with its grain that of the outermost strip, with the resultant well-known strengtheningeflect, and the spiral disposition of the inner strip by causing it repeatedly to cross diagonally the joint of the in tcrmediate sheet throughout the length thereof necessarily adds greatly to the. strength of the joint and indirectly to the joint of the outermost sheet.

It is not necessary that the layers of veneer shall be wood, for they, or one or more of them, may be composed of paper or other suitable material.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of manufacturing a hollow wooden column, which consists of winding a strip of veneer spirally about a core, enveloping said spirally-wound strip with a sheet of veneer and cementing the strip and sheet together at their contacting surfaces, enveloping said sheet with another sheet of veneer and cementing together the contacting surgether about the core, and subjecting the whole to drying to set the cement.

2. The method of manufacturing a hollow wooden column, which consists in winding a strip of veneer spirally about a core, springing about said spirally-wound strip a cylindrically-formed enveloping sheet of thicker veneer and cementing the strip and sheet together at their contacting surfaces, enveloping said sheet with another sheet of veneer and cementing together the contacting surfaces of the two sheets, binding the layers together about the core, and subjecting the whole to drying to set the cement.

3. The method of manufacturing a hollow wooden column, which consists in heating a core, winding spirally about said heated core a strip of veneer, enveloping said spirallywound strip with a sheet of veneer and cementing the strip and sheet together at their contacting surfaces, enveloping said sheet with another sheet of veneer and cementing together the contacting surfaces of the two sheets, binding the layers together about the core, and subjecting the whole to drying to set the cement.

4. The method of manufacturing a hollow wooden column, which consists in winding a strip of veneer spirally about a core, enveloping said spirally-wound strip with a sheet of veneer and cementing the strip and sheet together at their contacting surfaces, enveloping said sheet with another sheet of veneer and cementing together the contacting surfaces of the two sheets, binding the layers together about the core, heating the whole to soften and spread the cement between the layers, and subjecting the whole to drying to set thecement.

5. The method of manufacturing a hollow wooden column, which consists in heating a core, winding spirally about said heated core a strip of veneer, enveloping said spirallywound strip with a sheet of veneer and cementing the strip and sheet together at their cont-acting surfaces, enveloping said sheet with another sheet of veneer and cementing together the contacting surfaces of the two sheets, binding the layers together about the core, heating the whole to soften and spread the cement between the layers, and subjecting the whole to drying to set the cement.

6. The method of manufacturing a hollow wooden column, which consists in winding a strip of veneer spirally about a core, enveloping said spirally-wound strip with a sheet of veneer and cementing the strip and sheet together at their contacting surfaces, enveloping said sheet with another sheet of veneer and cementing together the contacting surfaces of the two sheets, fastening the layers together upon the core and then applying a binding spirally about the other sheet, meantime removing the fastenings, heating the Whole to soften and spread the cement between the layers, and subjecting the whole to drying to set the cement.

7. The method of manufacturing a hollow wooden column, which consists in heating a core, winding spirally about'and fastening upon said core a strip of veneer, springing about said spirally-wound strip a cylindrically-formed enveloping sheet of thicker veneer and cementing the strip and sheet together at their contacting surfaces, enveloping said sheet with another sheet of relatively thin veneer and cementing together the contacting surfaces of the two sheets, fastening the layers together upon the core and then applying a binding spirally about the outer sheet,meantime removing the fastenings, heatingthe whole to soften and spread the cement between the layers, subjecting the whole to drying to set the cement, and finally removing the core and spiral binding.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a hollow column consisting of an inner spiral strip of veneer, a sheet of veneer enveloping and cemented to said strip and an outer sheet of veneer enveloping and cemented to said lastnamed sheet.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a hollow column consisting of an inner spiral strip of veneer, a sheet of relatively thicker veneer enveloping and cemented to said strip and an outer sheet of relatively thin veneer enveloping and cemented to said last-named sheet, the joints of said sheets being non-coincident.

ANDREW \VESTERLING.

In presence of J. H. LANDES, F. M. W IRTZ. 

